Disney's New BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Film Has Changed Belle's Backstory
We recently got our first good look at Belle (Emma Watson), Beast (Dan Stevens), and Gaston (Luke Evens) in a set of photos that were released from Disney's upcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. It looks like director Bill Condon is remaining very faithful to the classic animated film, but there is something in the story that he changed. He and the creative team gave Belle a new backstory.
In a recent interview with EW, Watson explained that they made Belle more than just a bookworm. They also made her an inventor, which is what her father was in the original animated film. She said:
"In the animated movie, it’s her father who is the inventor, and we actually co-opted that for Belle. I was like, ‘Well, there was never very much information or detail at the beginning of the story as to why Belle didn’t fit in, other than she liked books. Also what is she doing with her time?’ So, we created a backstory for her, which was that she had invented a kind of washing machine, so that, instead of doing laundry, she could sit and use that time to read instead. So, yeah, we made Belle an inventor."
It's really not a big dramatic change. Just a little touch of something to make her character more interesting. Kevin Kline is playing Belle's father, Maurice, in the film. It's explained that he's been over protective of Belle since Belle's mother passed away. It's also revealed that Maurice makes music boxes. The film’s set decorator, Katie Spencer, offered additional details:
“Kevin Kline as Maurice, is making all these music boxes that have to tell the story of Belle not traveling. She’s overprotected in a way, by her father, because she’s lost her mother. So, we’ve made all these music boxes that represent different countries of the world, so she can see what she’s missing.”
I imagine we'll see a full trailer for the film sometime soon, and I'm looking forward to seeing footage from this movie. Beauty and the Beast opens in theaters on March 17th, 2017. To catch up on all of our previously released news, click here.